Central Co-op Supports 36 Charities and Good Causes with £34,015 in latest Community Dividend Fund
Posted by sam bishop | Published: 16/05/2023
Central Co-op's Community Dividend Fund has awarded another £34,015 to 36 charities and good causes, supporting communities with access to food, health and wellbeing, inclusion and the environment.
As part of the Fund, Central Co-op Members can apply for between £100 to £5,000 to support all manner of projects. All details on the Community Dividend Fund can be found on the Central Co-op site.
One cause supported this time around is Vamos Theatre in Worcestershire, which has received funding for a D/deaf practitioner to aid with courses to open up opportunities for local D/deaf young people.
Honor Hoskins, Creative Producer at Vamos Theatre, said: “We're delighted that Central Co-op is supporting our work to increase access to performing arts for D/deaf young people in the Midlands. D/deaf children and young people have fewer opportunities to take part in performing arts as, within traditional art forms, the need for a British Sign Language (BSL) interpreter creates a major barrier to access. Our project will use ‘Full Mask Theatre’ (an inclusive, wordless artform that relies on movement and gesture to communicate) to open up opportunities for local D/deaf young people. Support from Central Co-op will help to deliver performing arts courses tailored specifically to meet their needs, building confidence to get involved whilst developing new skills and having fun. We will also work with local D/deaf theatre practitioners, providing training to develop skills in leading sessions to be able to lead future local activity.”
A full list of those receiving funding with this round of the Community Dividend Fund can be found below, demonstrating the breadth and variety of the recipients across the trading estate.
For further details, head to the Central Co-op website, Facebook, and Twitter. Details on becoming a Member can be found on the Membership site.
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Picture Courtesy of Vamos Theatre
Cambridgeshire
The Deepings School - £848.93 - Lower-level book backs to motivate reluctant and struggling readers
Fitness Rush Ltd - £500 - Training days
Social Echo North Huntingdonshire CIC - £1,000 – Installing safety barriers and gates, along with decoration
Special Choices - £500 - A mobile gym, external gym visits, lifestyle and health support, and more
St. Luke’s Parish Church - £500 - Food supplies for attendees
St. Peter's Church Parochial Church Council - £3,900 – Installation of an induction loop, speakers, and a microphone
Church warden Nigel Boldero said: “We are really grateful to the Central England Co-op and its members for their support. As the only public building in the village, our Church is developing as a community hub, heritage centre and venue for cultural and wellbeing events, as well as continuing with a more limited religious role. The funding granted will go towards making the building safe, accessible and comfortable, by enabling us to install an induction loop and audio system for the hard of hearing and other users”
Theresa’s Tiny Treasures - £1,000 – Bereavement photography and keepsakes
Derbyshire
Macintyre - £500 - Community roast lunch for 100 people
Rykneld Bowling Club Limited - £150 - Contribution towards a new replacement amplifier
Malcolm Holden, Member of the Management Committee at Rkyneld Bowling Club, said: “The new amplifier will enable music and DVD to played in the clubhouse at an appropriate volume (in line with council regulations, and music/film licencing laws). It will allow the club to put on a wider range of audio/visual events (film shows, etc) - to attract more people to the club, provide events for charity and increase its prominence and value to the local community.”
Swadlincote Swimming Club - £750 - Nutrition talks, psychology mindset workshops, and mental health training
West Hallam Diamonds U10’s Girls Football Team - £750 - New football kit
Leicestershire
1st Newbold Verdon Scout Group - £750 - New tents for the group
Chroma Church - £500 - Hygiene items, washing up liquid, nappies, and other supplies
Fosse Primary School - £1,350 – Scooters and bike racks for students, along with scooters to loan out
Hinckley & District Museum - £250 - Beverages and food for the tearoom during the season
Kibworth Tennis Club - £1,800 – Defibrillator installation
Leicester Quaker Meeting - £400 - Defibrillator installation
Oadby & Wigston Girls FC - £550 - Kits for sports
Whetstone Juniors Football Club - £750 - Kits for sports
Norfolk
Asperger Easter Anglia - £500 - Funding for Adult Social Group
Cruse Bereavement Support Suffolk - £1,826 – Training of a bereavement volunteers to support adults and children
Fakenham and Wells Area Community First Responders - £3,590 – Raizer emergency lifting chair
Northamptonshire
NET Resource Centre - £500 - Funding the wellbeing garden to provide fresh fruit and vegetables for the food bank, along with a mental health space
NET Resource Centre Volunteer Michelle Slater said: “I managed to get half an allotment plot to help provide fresh produce and provide a mental health/wellbeing space for those who come to the centre who can’t or don’t have a garden but have knowledge to pass on and just to chat and get outside.”
Nottinghamshire
Break the Chains CIC - £1,000 – Mentoring pilot scheme ‘Beyond Crisis to Hope’
Diversify Education and Communities CIC - £1,000 – Creating a culturally diverse community café and gardens
Gedling Play Forum - £500 - Equipment, staff costs, and volunteering expenses
Reach Learning Disability - £1,000 – Resources for cooking classes, indoor greenhouses, and more
Tiger Community Enterprise CIC - £500 - Promotion of classes, more sewing machines, material, and more
Staffordshire
Dementia Caring - £650 - Hiring an additional room to provide space for carers to socialise, along with training and support for the programme
Suffolk
Halesworth Town Juniors Football Club - £750 - Preparation of ground for a safe training space
West Midlands
Birmingham Says No CIC - £1,000 – Fresh food basics
Cook and Grow Together CIC - £1,000 – Staffing costs for cooking skills workshops for families and children
Let’s Enable CIC - £1,000 – Shelter for the horse care programme
West Yorkshire
Shelley Cricket Club - £650 - Equipment for cricket
Worcestershire
Vamos Theatre - £1,300 – D/deaf practitioner to lead delivery and support of courses
About Central Co-op
Central Co-op is one of the largest independent retail co-operative societies in the UK, with a heritage stretching back over 175 years and interests in food, funeral, floral and property investment.
Owned by hundreds of thousands of members, its 7,700 colleagues serve customers across 440 plus trading sites in 21 counties in the East and West Midlands, Yorkshire, Suffolk, Norfolk, Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire, Oxfordshire, Gloucestershire and Wiltshire.
Its purpose is to create a sustainable Society for all.
It actively campaigns for food justice and works with FareShare Midlands and a network of local food banks. It also adds £1 to every Healthy Start Voucher redeemed in store and supports six schools in partnership with Magic Breakfasts.
The Society embraces inclusivity and equality and is a signed-up member to the Business in the Community (BITC) Race at Work Charter. The Society is also a member of Diversity in Retail and it is fully committed to addressing the impacts of climate change by reducing carbon and food waste, increasing recycling and investment in community Sustainable Spaces funded by the carrier bag levy. It recently launched its Malawi Partnership to support farmers and producers in the country through the Co-operative International Trading Development Fund.
It invests a percentage of its trading profit into local communities through its Community Dividend Fund scheme which has seen over £109,769.25 shared out between 121 good causes in 2022.
Press office contact: Sam Bishop, PR Specialist
Contact details:
sam.bishop@centralengland.coop
07385 048048